Is It Colder Inside Than Outside? Follow My Tips To Get Warm Again!

Have you ever noticed how your home seems to be colder on the inside than it is outdoors? I’ve lived in a few houses like that in my time. And I can tell you that’s also not a good thing during winter!

During the summer, such houses are a delight because you can always cool off indoors. At the time of writing this blog post, it’s rather cold outside. As you can imagine, a house that soaks up the cold weather will be freezing indoors! Do you live in such a house? If so, you might be more than fed up with having to wear ten layers of clothing.

The good news is that you can do plenty of things to resolve the problem. And, no, I don’t mean you have to wear even more clothes! I’ve tried various things out over the years to improve the heating of cold houses. Today I am going to share with you the ones that worked best. Here is what you need to know:

Give your heating system an overhaul

The first thing you should do is have someone come out and service your heating system. Everyone’s homes will have various methods of heating up rooms. Some may use radiators filled with hot water from a boiler. Others may use warm air systems.

Did you know that one of the reasons a house can get so cold is if the heating system is inefficient? That once powerful boiler system you had installed 20 years ago may not be so good these days. In some cases, you might find you’ll have no choice but to have a new one fitted.

Before you do anything, have a professional come over and give your home’s heating system a check. www.smart72.com/contact is a good place to start. Although, I’m sure you’ll also have a good heating engineer near you too.

I recommend walking around and checking for any leaking pipes to/from your boiler. That way, you can help diagnose any issues before the engineer arrives to service your system.

If you do need some major repairs, find out whether it’s more cost-effective to get a new heating system. Sometimes the cost of rare and hard-to-find boiler parts means it’s cheaper just to get a new system.

Check for gaps by your windows and doors

Your house will often feel cold indoors because of cold air entering it. So, where does this cold air come from, you might ask. The obvious answer to you might be when people leave windows and doors open. But, what you may not realize is cold air could be entering through gaps by your windows and doors!

When a house is new, it will be quite well insulated. Over the years, owners will add new windows and doors to improve their home’s appearance. Over time, gaps will develop where structural movement occurs.

There isn’t any house on the planet that does not suffer from some kind of subsidence. It might be a little, or it could be a lot. The point is; no house is safe from structural movement! Next on your list should be to go around and check the frames around your windows and doors.

Can you feel any cold air coming in? One tell-tale sign is where curtains move on a windy day without any windows or doors open. There is a more scientific way to check, of course. You could always buy a device called a thermal leak detector. They are cheap to buy and available at most hardware stores and the Web.

It’s a useful tool to add to your collection at home. And it’s one that can help you save hundreds of dollars in heating costs! If you identify any gaps by your windows and doors, there are a few ways to deal with them.

The first option is to apply some flexible decorator’s caulk. You can buy the caulk in most colors so that it matches the interior decor of your house. Caulk can take anything from 30 minutes to 24 hours to cure, depending on the product you use. It’s a cheap and easy way to resolve many draft issues from windows and doors.

The second option is to apply some filler. I recommend this option if you have older windows and doors that don’t have uPVC frames.

Last, but not least, you could always apply some insulation tape. It doesn’t look great, but it’s the cheapest option of all and does the job. Useful if you’re on a tight budget.

So you’ve gone around and sealed up any gaps by your windows and doors. But, still, your house seems cold. Although it may not be as cold as it usually is, of course! What else can you do to heat up your home?

Many people follow the traditional idea of installing thick curtains. In essence, they are curtains that usually have two layers. Sometimes you might find them sold as “blackout curtains” to keep the sun out. In other words, they are curtains used in bedrooms.

The idea behind thick curtains is they stop the heat inside a room from escaping outdoors. They also act as a thermal barrier to keep the cold from entering a room at the same time.

You could buy some ready-made curtains. This is perhaps the easiest option, provided you’ve taken some measurements first. If you’re handy with a sewing machine, a cheaper option is to make some custom curtains yourself.

I prefer making curtains as I can use all kinds of attractive patterns and colors. Plus, I know they’ll be a perfect fit for my home. Many curtain retailers will create custom-length curtains for you. Of course, you’ll need to pay them to do so!

Open your curtains when the sun enters your rooms

Now that you’ve got some thick curtains, you need to use them at the right times! For instance, when the sun is shining, you need to let it flood into your rooms. That way, they will get heated up during the morning and afternoon.

In the evening, as the sun goes down, you can close them again to keep the heat. Remember that your curtains act as a thermal barrier. Make sure you open and close them at the right times. Heat from the sun is effective and free, so don’t be afraid to work with it!

Get your attic insulated

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my school days, it’s that heat rises. When you heat up the living spaces in your house, the heat will head towards the attic.

By insulating your attic, you are preventing the heat from escaping into the atmosphere. The trouble is; many people don’t do enough to insulate their attics. And they wonder why it costs a fortune to heat their homes!

The process of attic insulation is both cheap and easy to do. If you’re a keen DIYer, I recommend you do the work yourself. Otherwise, expect to spend a few hundred dollars getting a pro in to do the work for you.

You can get rolls of insulation that you just lay out across the floor of your attic. Another option is to “spray” it using a machine. I prefer the rolled wool option. That’s because you can board over the insulation and create a new room in your attic if you wish.

Have glazed windows and doors fitted

Most modern homes have double or triple-glazed windows and doors fitted. They offer huge savings when it comes to heating a property. What’s more, they provide adequate sound proofing from the outdoors. So, if you live on a busy street, the noise won’t keep you awake at night.

Glazed windows and doors come in a range of shapes and sizes. You can also get them in a variety of colors too. The only thing I would say is you should choose your styles wisely. That’s because you don’t want to turn your house into an eyesore!

The style you choose should be sympathetic to the style of yours and neighboring houses.

I know what you’re thinking. Glazed windows and doors will cost a few thousand dollars to get installed. Well, while that is true you’ll save a lot of money on your heating costs each year. Many families “make” the cost back in just five years through the savings in their home.

Keep your heating system running all the time during winter

Last, but not least, there is one more thing you can do. During the colder months of the year, keep your heating system running 24/7. It’s possible to program any heating system to run at low power during the day. You can then crank the heat up in the evening and early in the morning.

The constant low heat will mean that your home stays warmer for longer. As odd as my suggestion might sound, it does save money in the long term!

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Nancy is from New Jersey and relocated to South Carolina with her husband, Ray—the man of her dreams that she married almost two decades ago. Together they spoil their pug, Bella and their calico cat, Hailey. She is also a care giver of her young niece and nephew.